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Terrified
Teenagers
Copyright: © 2004 by Roxanna Ward
I sit outside and view the
activities with an adult eye. These teenagers may look harsh, rough and
ready, but on the inside they are all scared and insecure. The little
girl with the thick glasses adjusts her bangs, hoping to hide behind her
hair. The football player jokes to hide his insecurities from having to
ride the bus.
Who knows what all bothers them
deep down on the inside. What I see is that each of them, even the most
confidant, are petrified on the first day of school.
It is amazing to stand back and
watch this transformation into adulthood. If only I could have seen it
from this point of view years ago. But what fun would it have been to
have all the answers then.
Instead of brushing it off, I have
this overwhelming urge to run up to them all and say "It is ok, you will
do fine". Grab them and give them a huge hug. Drag them back to my
quarters and shelter them inside my save haven, my home. But I know that
I can't. I know that they must learn these lessons on their own.
Heartache and pain are all part of becoming an adult. The inevitable
must happen. Teenagers can not be sheltered from what is bound to
happen.
No matter how terrible the
heartache of first love is, maybe it will prepare them for a mature
relationship. No matter how terrible the heartache of failing a project
that they worked extra hard on, maybe it will prepare them for an adult
job. We will never know what lies ahead. Simply knowing that they\se
little life lessons are just a steeping stone into the great big world
is enough. As parents all we can really do is steer our children into
the right direction. Hope that when they do fail we can be there to
catch them or at the very least brush off the dust and help them find
their way again. Because as my 13 year old son says "It sucks".
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